The Dichotomy of Luxury

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The Dichotomy of Luxury: Louis Vuitton + Gucci Justin Bost

To the dreamchasers and risktakers. . . I dedicate this to you.

“In order tobe irreplaceable, one must always be D I F F E R E N T ”

“In order tobe irreplaceable, one must always be D I F F E R E N T ”

Established brands must change in order to grow, but with change comes risk; the risk of losing tradition to gain the avant- garde. Balance is key. Louis Vuitton and Gucci, the most powerful fashion houses in the world have altered their brands through graphic design, playing with color, pattern, and photography to expand

—Coco Chanel

and gain new customers. While Louis Vuitton creates a visually expressive brand, Gucci takes a more moderate and sophisticated approach. Both have successfully broad-ened the brands while retain-ing their core roots.

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Branding

Interviews

Pattern & Symbols Conclusion

Color & PhotoLogo & Type

Visual Style

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Branding is defined as the attributes of a product that make a lasting impression in a customer’s mind. “ It is a way in which companies can connect emotionally to customers” (Wheeler 2).

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It is through the connection of branding that companies hope to create life-long rela-tionships with those who buy their products. What,then, makes Louis Vuitton and Guc-ci so successful, and what role does branding play in their suc-cess? Key elements of brand-ing include, but are not limited to, the name, logo, typeface, color and visual style.

The name of the brand is criti-cal, as it is the thing by which a brand is most remembered.

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Louis Vuitton, a hard work-ing artisan from Paris, began his leather company in the mid-nineteenth century. Best known for his luggage, he supplied kings and queens, high society, matrons, and business titans with luxurious travel pieces. “It was the lug-gage of the rich and famous” (Thomas 18).

Gucci was started in Flor-ence, Italy by Guccio Gucci. The company first began with the production of leather

goods. Known for his impec-cable craftsmanship, a skill he perfected working in London’s Savory Hotel, Gucci crafted timeless leather goods that were sported by the elite and celebrities.

18 Louis Vuitton incorporates color, pattern, and logo while Gucci uses typography and ‘the name’ to package. While the design approach differs; both go after the upper class demographic. Both brands use every opportunity to showcase themselves. Louis Vuitton is excessively ornate in their presentation. The use of the repeated patterns alongside saturated colors gives a wow factor.

Gucci keeps branding simple compared to Louis Vuitton which adds to the elegance of the brand Gucci also uses grayscale in many of their ads which denotes a sense of timelessness. Quality is the biggest concern with Gucci. “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” -Aldo Gucci

19Louis Vuitton incorporates color, pattern, and logo while Gucci uses typography and ‘the name’ to package. While the design approach differs; both go after the upper class demographic. Both brands use every opportunity to showcase themselves. Louis Vuitton is excessively ornate in their presentation. The use of the repeated patterns alongside saturated colors gives a wow factor.

Gucci keeps branding simple compared to Louis Vuitton which adds to the elegance of the brand Gucci also uses grayscale in many of their ads which denotes a sense of timelessness. Quality is the biggest concern with Gucci. “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” -Aldo Gucci

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The logo marks the beginning of a visual syst-em that evokes the brand, while typography is “the clothing that dresses words, giving them character, emphasis, and a subtle, but distinct personality” (Healey 96).

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Traditionally, brand names are those of company’s founders. Created in 1896, Louis Vuitton was no exception as its logo, LV, was derived from its founder, Louis Vuitton.“The ideal logo is simple, elegant, economical, flexible, practical, and unforgettable” said Paul Rand, an influential figure in the design community (Healy 90). The Vuitton logo consists of two custom drawn serif letter forms, LV. The L is positioned below the V, while the words

“Louis Vuitton” appear in all caps Futura font positioned below the mark. Choosing a serif typeface to represent the brand shows a level of power and authority. Simple and unforgettable, the LV logo stands the test of time, as it has not been altered since its original creation.

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Gucci’s logo originally be-gan as a logotype of the word “Gucci”. “Logotypes use typography or letter-ing to depict the name of a brand in a memorable way” (Lupton 53). Here the logo-type is clean and simple, set in all caps dressed in a custom serif typeface. In the late 1960s, the company developed its famous GG monogram,paying homage to its Italian founder Guccio Gucci. The GG monogram is set in a custom designed bold sans serif typeface with the two all-cap “G’s” refle-cting one another. This monogram was later printed as a pattern on many products, including handbags, jewelry and of course accessories.

28 Louis Vuitton uses the logo in a sculptural pattern in 2006 on the fence of the Tumon Bay store in Guam. Vuitton’s love for architecture is translated through this sculptural design. This solution is typical of Louis Vuitton as it showcases the brand in the most excessive way.

Gucci uses typography to promote to their target audience of the young and wealthy in this ad. Gold, is a cohesive element within Gucci’s brand identity. The primary logo is positioned on the belt buckle while a “G” character in scripted typography is embroidered on the back pocket. This scripted character shows brand personality and denotes youthfulness and casual luxury.

29Louis Vuitton uses the logo in a sculptural pattern in 2006 on the fence of the Tumon Bay store in Guam. Vuitton’s love for architecture is translated through this sculptural design. This solution is typical of Louis Vuitton as it showcases the brand in the most excessive way.

Gucci uses typography to promote to their target audience of the young and wealthy in this ad. Gold, is a cohesive element within Gucci’s brand identity. The primary logo is positioned on the belt buckle while a “G” character in scripted typography is embroidered on the back pocket. This scripted character shows brand personality and denotes youthfulness and casual luxury.

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Color is an important at-tribute, as it is used to evoke emotion and express a bra-nd’s personality.

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Louis Vuitton’s traditional colors are brown and beige. According to a consumer response survey on color supplied by Color Graphics: The Power of Color in Graphic Design, both brown and beige repr-esent dependability, friendliness, and simplicity, all attributes of the Vuitton brand.

While staying true to the tra-ditional values and styles that make Louis Vuitton the brand we know today, artists such as Stephen Sprouse bring creative yet unconventional ideas to the table. On the left, two youthful models are posed in an elevator with an abundance of Louis Vuitton luggage piled away next to them. The dichotomy between old and new is ap-parent in both the pattern and luggage itself. The luggage con-tains the signature monogram and framework of vintage Louis Vuitton. It is the usage of repeti-tive typography that makes the pattern innovative and fresh.

The type is treated in an ex-pressive manner and is tiled, making its own pattern layered on top of the original pattern. From greens to yellows and pink, the colors denote a sense of youthfulness and playful-ness. Both Sprouse and Marc Jacobs believe that for a cor-poration to grow, it has to be alive and have a human touch. Sprouse stays true to Vuitton’s trademark while creating this new pattern of typography that explores expressive forms of script as a solution to make what is iconic have an innova-tive point of view— one that adds to the notion of the hu-man touch in a product.

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In the 2007 Sprouse ad, Louis Vuitton is written in letter forms that mimic the style of graffiti, an urban style of script that’s tradition-ally scribbled, scratched, or sprayed on a wall or surface in a public space. While Sprouse was never a graf-fiti artist, he was surrounded by it when living in New York and knew that “Graffiti represented the triumph of the human hand in an age of mega-corporation and mass production” (Louis Vuitton 354). Implementing this medi-um as a pattern on Louis Vuit-ton products represents the correlation between tradition and innovation. Sprouse does not eliminate the traditional monogram, but incorporates it into the redesign, mixing expressive typography with the traditional serif monogram-matic logo. This proved Vuit-ton’s ability to be experimental in design as well as adaptive to change— staying alive and growing.

-Alina Wheeler

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Louis Vuitton not only uses photography in its traditional sense to advertise products, but takes advantage of the me-dium as a means to make so-cial and/or cultural statements. In 1999, David LaChapelle, a provocative contemporary photographer who “focus-es on the visual codes and metaphors that modern culture has constructed around the human body, only to disparage them with his brand derisive, neo-pop irony” (Louis Vuitton 236), developed a photograph for Vuitton that is filled with ironic play. Born in Connecti-cut in 1963, LaChappelle’s work is immersed in American pop culture and draws from fantasies and stereotypes. Intrigued by the media and popular culture, LaChapelle fuses a bond between fashion and fine art, photographing Lil’ Kim, a rising African American female rapper from Brooklyn, New York. The photograph entitled, “Lil’ Kim: A Luxury

Item”, portrays Lil’ Kim nude and embellished with the Louis Vuitton monogram from head to toe with background colors reminiscent of Vuitton’s traditional color palette. In American pop culture Lil’ Kim is viewed as a hustler who used drugs, money and sex to climb the ladder of fame. Born in 1975, she moved out of her family home in Brooklyn at the age of fifteen and got involved in drugs to a make a living before meeting her lover and mentor Biggie Smalls (aka Notorious B.I.G. )

With a daunting stare straight into the eyes of the viewer, she poses in a feminine yet sexual manner, elongating her curves to be perceived as an object of lust. The irony is clear in “Lil’ Kim: A Luxury Item,” as Kim is compared to the Vuitton brand as being a desired luxury. LaChappelle strips Kim down to bare nudity, as her body is a di-rect comparison to the desired

Louis Vuitton brand (hence the embellished Louis Vuitton monogram on her body). For LaChappelle, “the body is both an object and subject of desire; exhibited in every imaginable way; as a highly idealized exte-rior surface, posed amid food arranged to suggest decor rath-er than nutrition” (Louis Vuitton 236). Through photography, LaChappelle was able to make a statement about pop culture and sexuality. In this case, Lil Kim can be viewed as an object of desire, a luxury piece under the branding of Louis Vuitton. This reiterates the fundamental viewpoint for Vuitton that ex-perimentation and the human touch are needed to expand a brand beyond its means.

“The body is both an object and subject of desire; exhibited in every imaginable way.” 41

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Louis Vuitton uses photography to promote a style of lavishness. Its style is more aggressive than Gucci. This ad references the “pin-up” girl in a more avant-garde fashion that is highly commercial. The shot was also captured in a lighting studio. It is a statement about pushing the boundaries with lavish beauty and accessories.

Gucci uses photography to brand in a more subtle and natural manner in this photograph. The lighting and environment are both natural and soft with an inviting aura; a clear contrast to Louis Vuitton’s bold and assertive approach.

45Louis Vuitton uses photography to promote a style of lavishness. Its style is more aggressive than Gucci. This ad references the “pin-up” girl in a more avant-garde fashion that is highly commercial. The shot was also captured in a lighting studio. It is a statement about pushing the boundaries with lavish beauty and accessories.

Gucci uses photography to brand in a more subtle and natural manner in this photograph. The lighting and environment are both natural and soft with an inviting aura; a clear contrast to Louis Vuitton’s bold and assertive approach.

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47Gucci’s primary color, gold, is a direct parallel to the essence of the brand. Gold, an attribute of yellow, is a warm color that can be bright and cheerful while also being somber and traditional. As a precious metal, gold is associated with wealth and prosperity. These key characterizations are straight-forward parallels to the brand, as its associations with wealth and lavishness are apparent. Gucci uses color sparingly as an element within the brand itself. This jewelry advertisement, displays the GG monogram pattern engraved into golden

rings that consume the entire composition. The background is solid black, with lighting that focuses directly on the rings. This advertisement is a clear depiction of the luxury and wealth of Gucci while incor-porating color and pattern to tie together the essence of the entire brand.

In the 2006 Fall/Winter ad campaign, a mirrored image of a model is displayed. On the left, the model is wearing all black embellished in jewels and sequins, while on the right she wears purple. Each figure embraces the other by the shoulder. The lighting on the left is calm and subtle, while that on the right is more ag-gressive, implying movement. The logotype is positioned at the middle right side of the composition.

The meaning behind this advertisement is critical, as it depicts a transition within the entire franchise. The mir-rored reflection of the model represents Gucci, while the colors represent the transition from past to present or tradi-tional to contemporary. The model embraces her other half because neither can be lost, as they need each other to survive.

Key elements of the past should not be left or forgotten in the transition to the future. Both colors, black and purple, have synonymous associations with,

“elegance, regalness, wealth and prestige” (Triedman 55), all of which are aligned with the Gucci brand concept. The position of the logotype also reflects the idea of change as its position is on the right side of the composition.

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Visual style in-cludes elements such as photog-raphy, illustra-tion and other graphic motifs that are used with the purpose of enhancing the overall customer experience. Bra-nding is all about perception, and through graphic design, percep-tion is achieved.

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Louis Vuitton’s visual style evokes luxury, but is highly aesthetic. It blends traditional elements such as its mono-grammatic logo with contem-porary design through typog-raphy and color to expand the company further and attract new audiences. Retail stores, an example of visual style, are a di-rect entryway for the consumer into the heart of a brand. Design plays a vital role in the concept of the retail store, as attention is given to the store layout as well as its aesthet-ics, including interior design. The effective combination of these factors could lead to higher purchase probability. Louis Vuitton’s flagship store in Paris, incorporates a unique interior and exterior design aesthetic in an attempt to at-tract the consumer and ignite buyer potential. The store has been referred to as “art on floors” (Okonwa 84). Where most retail stores use an eleva-tor as a means of transporting customers from floor to floor, Louis Vuitton uses the elevator as a “statement of creative

imagination” (Okonwa 84). A blackened elevator is used, void of all light and sound. As visitors move from floor to floor, the aura of total darkness and stillness hovers. It was the de-signer’s concept that in dark-ness, consumers would be left with a feeling of emptiness that would ignite their imagination for the products to come.

The exterior of the building is a prime example of visual style as two oversized Vuitton handbags accessorize the facade. One bag embodies the traditional Vuitton mono-gram pattern, while the other exemplifies a contemporary redesign by Takashi Murakami, a Japanese illustrative artist. Having both patterns displayed shows the dichotomy between traditional and contemporary without losing the connective thread of the Louis Vuitton brand. Creative director Marc Jacobs says, “Vuitton is a status symbol. It’s not about hiding the logo. It’s about being a bit of a show off” (Thomas 18).

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Louis Vuitton mixes its traditional characterstics with contemporary additives. In this picture Vuitton uses a traditional shape of a tote bag adding contemporary flare. By changing the material from leather to an embossed silver design that mixes the old with the new in a innovative way.

Gucci’s visual style is clean and simple, however like Vuitton, Gucci experiments with exotic materials to create new shapes and forms. Gucci aims not only to showcase timeless beauty but shows versatility in extreme decadence.

61Louis Vuitton mixes its traditional characterstics with contemporary additives. In this picture Vuitton uses a traditional shape of a tote bag adding contemporary flare. By changing the material from leather to an embossed silver design that mixes the old with the new in a innovative way.

Gucci’s visual style is clean and simple, however like Vuitton, Gucci experiments with exotic materials to create new shapes and forms. Gucci aims not only to showcase timeless beauty but shows versatility in extreme decadence.

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To the right and below, depicts the exterior and interior of the Gucci retail store in New York during the 1980s. With gold trimmings, gold cases and li-ghting, the ideas of lavishness and fortune are apparent. First impressions are key. The atten-tion to detail is impeccable as the steps beam gold light into the space. The Gucci logo is clearly visible to the right and is encrusted in gold as well. Gu-cci, like Vuitton, has become a status symbol that does not shy away from embracing its identity and the essence of the brand through design.

Gucci’s approach to visual style is straight forward luxury in comparison to Louis Vuitton.

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Pattern is an important component in the overall success of the Louis Vuitton brand. “If a brand is well- crafted, then all its pieces should reinforce one another and the association between idea and identity is strong” (Wheeler 70).

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Louis Vuitton represents a level of sophistication, luxury, and tradition that has been carried down throughout its history. Thus, how does one integrate tradition and innova-tion in contemporary times without conflicting with a visual style that has achieved global awareness and success?

“Dots, stripes and grids provide the architecture behind an infinite range of designs” (Lup-ton 185). Takashi Murakami created a unique redesign of the original Vuitton trade-mark pattern. Originally, the logo was placed on a brown background and reproduced on leather and different textiles throughout various collec-tions. Murakami’s design uses eclectic multi-color hues on white and black backgrounds. Illustration is an added compo-nent in the reinvented design.

“Eye Love Monogram,” consists of circular illustrative figures compiled together forming an eyeball. This illustrative effect shows Murakami’s personal style, as he is a Japanese art-ist working in various media, including fine arts, digital media, and commercial media. Marc Jacobs calls Murakami’s re-invisioning of the trademark monogram a “monumental marriage of art and commerce” (Louis Vuitton 292).

Altering as well as adding elements such as color and il-lustration aim to reach Vuitton’s younger demographic range. Engagement is key. “Brands use distinctive imagery, language, and associations to encourage customers to identify with the brand”, says David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance (Healey 2). Color plays an integral part in this as it is used to communi-cate to a key audience— the young, hip, and trendy. Satu-rated colors like green, yellow and red are used in the redesign. These colors are more friendly, fresh and expressive, com-bined with illustration, appeals to the younger demographic who wants a piece of the Vuitton brand.

Scale and hierarchy are both present in the redesign of the Vuitton pattern as well. While the pattern is complex, con-taining symbols in variations of saturated colors, it is not dominant on the hierarchal scale. Instead, the logo is made prominent with a signifi-cant increase in scale. “At the heart of every brand is a set of characteristics that consum-ers can relate to” (Healey 82). While Murakami plays with altering the visual style of the pattern, the focus is never taken off of Louis Vuitton. The monogram is distinguished

because it is indeed the heart of the brand. It is a distinct representation that expresses luxury, lavishness and origi-nality. Murakami was able to sustain the integral trademark of Louis Vuitton while adding elements such as color and illustration that successfully ex-panded the Vuitton brand with-out dismissing its traditional values and elements.

Color, pattern, typography, photography, illustration and other graphic motifs will enhance brand identity.

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72 Louis Vuitton uses animal prints alongside their traditional pattern to reinforce the idea of luxury. Animals print are associated with wealth and is highly regarded as a rare, but bold commodity in the fashion industry.

Gucci balances pattern well with the design of this dress. Here, the pattern is the wow factor. Detailed oriented, it has a bold and eccentric quality while the cut and form of the dress is subdued while chic.

73Louis Vuitton uses animal prints alongside their traditional pattern to reinforce the idea of luxury. Animals print are associated with wealth and is highly regarded as a rare, but bold commodity in the fashion industry.

Gucci balances pattern well with the design of this dress. Here, the pattern is the wow factor. Detailed oriented, it has a bold and eccentric quality while the cut and form of the dress is subdued while chic.

The GG symbol, Gucci’s first monogram pattern, began around 1960 and was used as a squared-off fastening for bags. Either as single or double Gs, the symbol was originally used as hardware that was big, bold and recognizable from miles away. Soon after, the symbol evolved from its usage as hard-ware to “A diamond shaped pattern woven into the best-selling cotton canvas luggage” (Mowers 418). Initially intended for suitcases, sports bags, and shoulder bags, this pattern was known as the “GG Canvas” and was initially printed on an ecru background. The external GG hardware has been reconfig-ured, appearing and reappear-ing over time as a circle, invert-ed, back to back, and extracted. Paired with an iconic symbol, Gucci products are made out of luxurious exotic materials such as ostrich, crocodile, and python. The brand gained fame quickly, as Gucci was seen in pictures, photographed by the paparazzi who swarmed over movie stars, aristocrats, and ce-lebrities. Soon, Gucci would be known globally as a status sym-bol that crosses cultures. The GG “has acquired an elasticity of popular meaning that stretches its possibilities to include high glamour and when the moment arises, a knowing sense of hu-mor” (Mowers 418).

The phrase, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” was the theme behind the integra-tion of bamboo, another of Gucci’s icons. Craftsmakers pondered ways to sustain and expand the brand during the war-time shortages of World War II. Bamboo became the material for experimentation as it was creative and above else easily accessible at the time via Japan. In 1947, Gucci deve-loped the bamboo-handled bag. Bent over a Bunsen burn-er to give the wood a glossy smooth touch, a bamboo strip is attached with four metal hoops for security. Bamboo is accented on the clutch as well. This was both pragmatic and iconic. Bamboo was acces-sible during wartime and the use of bamboo was still “Meet-ing the Gucci standards of desirable exclusivity” (Mower 376). It was a stroke of genius for the craftsmen, as they di-dn’t realize the potential of the future iconic symbol. “Over decades, the bamboo went beyond its origins, becoming a device used on generations of new bag shapes, and gradu-ally transforming itself into a Gucci visual code branded into multiplicities of products” (Mower 376).

“Soon,Gucci was known globally as a status symbol that crosses cultures.”

The brass horsebit, another of Gucci’s iconic icons, assisted considerably in enhancing brand awareness. Originally used as a piece of hardware, the brass horsebit was noted in the 1950s as, “A strong punc-tuation point used on heavy tan leather saddle-stitched hand-bags” (Mowers 390). Since then, it has been reinterpreted into various sizes, shapes, and patterns. These reinterpreta-tions ranged from patterns on silk to encrusted components on precious jewelry. Convert-ing the horsebit into various designs and sizes expanded its popularity in the eyes of the public. Translated throughout a range of products, it was most crucial in securing the iconic status of the Gucci loafer, which graced the feet of Clark Gable, John Wayne and Fred Astaire. The metal horsebit, located at the tongue of the shoe, is a prominent identifier of Gucci, representing a bond of timeless design and reliable quality. Thus, through luxurious materials, iconic symbols were employed to instantly trigger brand awareness and show-case visual identity.

The web, another of Gucci’s icons, was “simple, strong and amazingly enduring idea that came out of the stable” (Mowers 494). Culture also influenced the branding pro-cess of Gucci. During the early 1950s, horseback riding was a common leisure activity of high society. Guccio Gucci thought that by incorporating elements of culture into his designs and products, he would relate to his clients’ sporting interests and ignite buyer potential. The web is based on a girth-strap, the strip of canvas used to secure a saddle to the back of a horse. Set as a house standard in the early fifties, the green-red-green color com-bination is a masterstroke of branding, as it triggers brand awareness and coincides with the overall brand concept of luxury and wealth. In the Jackie O prototype bag to the left, no-tice how the entire bag is black except the green-red-green webbing down the middle with a gold buckle. Its purpose is intentional, with a focus on the web and its splash of color. The color choices green and red reinforce Gucci’s essential qualities. Green represents nature, forest, tradition, and money, while red is provocative and associated with energy, dynamics, and power.

“Soon,Gucci was known globally as a status symbol that crosses cultures.”

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79Design has had a significant impact on the expansion and popularity of both Louis Vuit-ton and Gucci. I do believe that established brands must change in order to grow, but with change comes risk; the risk of losing tradition to gain the avant-garde. Both compa-nies, through innovation, have found ways to maintain current consumers and appeal to new consumers. Louis Vuitton used color and expressive typog-raphy, while Gucci branded luxury with unusual materials to be remembered for genera-

tions to come. Balance is the cohesive thread that links tradi-tion to contemporary design. A part of advancing to the future is understanding the past. Bra-nding is all about perception, and through design, percep-tion is achieved. “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” (Mowers 5).

Long live LV. Live long GG.

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Orchid Liu is currently a mark-eting associate for FTI, a global consulting firm with offices in 26 countries and is based out of the Times Square office in New York City.

As an associate, Orchid supports the senior corporate marketing team and reports directly to the Chief Marketing Officer, Liz Nickles. In addition to her support duties, Orchid is integral in the planning/execution of FTI branding events and strategies. FTI signature events include the Hampton Classic, Winter Equestrian Festival and the British Open. FTI is also a corporate sponsor of PGA golfer Padraig Harrington and the New York Yankees.

Previously, Orchid was Exe-cutive Assistant for FD (Public Affairs branch of FTI) in the Washington, DC office. As Executive Assistant, Orchid

Interview: Orchid LiuMarketing Associate, NY Former Gucci Sales Supervisor

had numerous administr-ative duties as well as assisted with corporate marketing events. Orchid supervised the execution of small and large-scaled events, including but not limited to, the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia; Inaugural celebration at Union Station and various thought leadership events.

Prior to joining FD, Orchid was Sales Supervisor at Gucci, Tyson’s Corner. Gucci is a world-renowned luxury brand specializing in ready-to-wear and leather goods. Overseeing a team of sales associates, Orchid interfaced with a div-erse clientele and assisted in maximizing sales for the Virginia location.

Orchid is a native of Chicago and has a B.A. in International Economics from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.I chose Orchid for an inter-

view because of her extensive expertise in Marketing/PR. Additionally, having worked as Sales Supervisor at Gucci, gives Orchid a unique first hand experience on branding as well as visual style for Gucci.

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Q: The logo marks the beginning of a visual system that evokes the brand while typography is the clothing that dresses words, giving them character, emphasis and subtle but distinct personal-ity. In your opinion, what person-alities do each logo convey?

Q: In Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler, she states, “If a brand is well crafted, then all its pieces should reinforce one another and the associa-tion between idea and identity is strong.” Has Takashi Murakami successfully related idea to identity in the 2003 “Eye Love Monogram?” What, in your opin-ion, makes the redesign work or not work and why does color play an integral component?

Q: In their 1999 ad featuring Lil Kim shot by David LaChapelle, LV literally “brands” Kim with their ubiquitous mark. Is it possible for a brand to co-opt a personality simply by putting their logo on top? If so, what implications do you feel this has for luxury brands within the fashion industry?

Q: Gucci strategized ways to expand the company by branding exotic materials that met the Gucci standards of exclusivity. Bamboo, one of GG’s iconic symbols, was stumbled upon during World War II. What is the importance of branding rare items?

A: The choice of serif typogra-phy for the Louis Vuitton logo evokes a sense of tradition and hard-lined edges. The letters “L” and “V” are clearly visible and not arranged in a way that disguises the fact that they are initials. Gucci, on the other hand, chooses a more fluid design with interlocking “G”s. Because of the more artistic design to the logo, the viewer does not immediately sense that they are looking at initials, rather than a design.

A: Murakami does an excellent job in keeping the identity of Louis Vuitton while at the same time updating the traditional print by incorporating bright colors and inserting new de-signs in the classic LV pattern. The colors are more youthful and the design is whimsical. Additionally, the color is an in-tegral component of the LV pat-tern as the traditional tan and brown is replaced by a multi-color design, which makes the viewer take a second look.

A: It is possible for a brand to co-opt a personality by putting their logo on top, especially when the logo is as recogniz-able as LV. LaChapelle, in this instance, makes no apologies for covering Lil’ Kim in LV logo nor does he try to camouflage the pattern. The major implica-tion for luxury brands is that if their logo is used on a wide variety of products (outside of the ready-to-wear, leather goods and jewelry that they typically sell), it could cause over-saturation in the eyes of potential customers; and in a sense, cheapen the brand.

A: Rare items are important to brand because the company wants to be associated with a rare items. Using a rare items in the production of a product evokes exclusivity and luxury, both of which are important when selling an aspirational brand as this.

Ryan is an accomplished creative leader with over 13 years strategic and creative development experience in nearly every medium and in all stages of development. His passion for both strategy and design allow him to produce ideas that transcend the product and connect with consumers on a more emotional and compelling level. Ryan’s work has been seen in Print Regional De-sign Annuals, Several Logo and Packaging books and various magazines.

Interview: Ryan McCullahAssociate Creative Director, Aol. Dulles, VA

84 I chose Ryan for an interview because of his extensive kn-owledge in the field of design, particulary branding. At Aol., Ryan has taught me the value of clear communication; and how design can not only comm-unicate but impact it’s viewer on an emotional level.

Q: The logo marks the be-ginning of a visual system that evokes the brand while typography is the clothing that dresses words, giving them character, emphasis as well as a subtle but distinct personality. In your opinion, what personalities do each logo convey and why?

Q: In Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler, she states, “If a brand is well crafted, then all its pieces should reinforce one another and the association between idea and identity is strong.” Has Takashi Mura-kami successfully related idea to identity in the 2003 “Eye Love Monogram?” What, in your opinion, makes the redesign work or not work and why does color play an integral component?

Q: In their 1999 ad featuring Lil Kim shot by David LaChapelle, LV literally “brands” Kim with their ubiquitous mark. Is it possible for a brand to co-opt a personality simply by putting their logo on top? If so, what implications do you feel this has for luxury brands within the fashion industry?

Q: Gucci strategized ways to expand the company by branding exotic materials that met the Gucci standards of exclusivity. Bamboo, one of GG’s iconic symbols, was stumbled upon during World War II. What is the importance of branding rare items?

A: Both logos convey a strong sense of confidence and mys-tery through their simplicity and uniqueness. Both brands un-derstand the role of the logo is merely that of a visual diplomat, representing something much bigger than its product or its fashion, but rather its emotion, its feeling, its energy.

A: A brand is not a logo. A brand is not a product. A br-and is not a list of bullet po-int product benefits. A brand among all else must be a feel-ing. We feel before with think. We see before we feel. Said another way, Design triggers feeling—feeling influences thought—thought forms con-clusions—conclusions lead to action. The distance from sight to conclusion is lightning fast, like attraction to an individual. The distance from conclusion to action takes slightly longer with more interactions with the brand, until the attraction be-comes irresistable. It all starts with design- it is the language of feeling.So to answer the question: YES well done on this exection.

A: Yes, by all means yes! This approach adds depth and di-mension to the brand meaning. In this case however, I feel the brand is “stripped” of some its luxury luster. The pose and the photographic style does not align my emotional attachment to these brands. The style is very expected, reinforcing mythical and overly seductive body form in a way that seems to say the model has sold her soul to the brands. Of course it was 1999, different world then.

A: Brands impressions are formed not only by sight but by all our senses. In fact the more senses you engage, the more memorable the experi-ence. The Gucci bamboo is a great example of this, combin-ing both sight and touch. It’s no wonder this material has become a core component of their brand experience.

Healey, M. What is Branding? Switzerland: Roto Vision, 2008.

Igarash, Taro. Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture New York: Rizzoli, 2009.

Lupton, Ellen. Graphic Design the New BasicsNew York: Princeton, 2008

Lupton, Ellen. Thinking with TypeNew York: Princeton, 2004

Mower, Sarah. Gucci by Gucci New York: Vendome, 2006.

Okonkwo, U. Luxury Fashion Branding. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

Thomas, D. Deluxe How Luxury Lost Its Luster. New York: The Penguin Press, 2007.

Triedman, Karen. Color Graphics: Power of Color in Graphic DesignMassachusetts: Rockport Publishers, 2002

Wheeler, A. Designing Brand Identity. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

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87

Ad Campaign Jewelry, S/S

2006, Photo Guido Mocafico

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Photo Alberta Tiburzi

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from Julie Verhoeven’s Fairy Tale Series

Cow Leather and snakeskin


Photo Guido MocaficoAd Campaign S/S 2003

Eva Herzigová

Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

American Motors Gucci Hornet

Sportabout, 1972Study, 2008

Richard Prince

acrylic on canvas

EyeLove SUPERFLAT White

2003

Takashi Murakami

Louis Vuitton

Monogrammatic Logo

Lil’ Kim: A Luxury Item,1999

David LaChapelle

Color Print

Ad Campaign for Vogue, 2000

Luggage in Graffiti Monogram

Stephen Sprouse

88


Robert Konjic

Photo Mario Testino


Stephanie Seymour

Photo Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot

“The Nurses” S/S 2008

Prêt-à-Porter Louis Vuitton Show

October 2007

Ad Campaign F/W 2006-07

Kate Moss

Photo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

Details, March 2005

Guilherme Schell

Photo Mikael Jansson

Collection S/S 2000

Nicole Tran Va BangThe Prince of Wales, Windsor

1983

Marilyn Trunk in the Multicolor

Monogram, 2007


Photo Terry Richardson

Screen surrounding store in Tumon Bay,

Guam, 2006

Precast stone

Barthélémy & Griño


Iselin Steiro and Freja Beha

Photo Craig McDean


Scarlet Johansson

Photo Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

Fashion show S/S 2006-07Ad Campaign for Vogue, 2000

Luggage in Graffiti Monogram

Stephen Sprouse

89

Gucci catalogue

1978, Gucci New York storeGucci Florence Store

1960s

W Magazine, Special Jewelry

April 2004

Karen Elson

Photo David Sims

EyeLove SUPERFLAT Black

2003

Takashi Murakami

Panda

2003

Takashi Murakami

Acrylic on fiberglass with antique Louis

Vuitton trunk and wooden pedestal

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2003

Takashi Murakami

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Louis Vuitton Leopard Bag, 1996

Azzedine Alaïa

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Jessica Sam

Photo Satoshi Saikusa


Snejana Onopka and Iselin Steiro

Photo Craig McDean

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2006

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Kochi, 2003

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90



Ad Campaign,1996

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and Vinoodh Matadin

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1947

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(from left to right) Angela Lindvall,

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Photo Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

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bassed on the Multicolor Monogram

Gucci Florence Store, 1980

91


Photo Mario Testino

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à-Porter F/W 2006-07

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93

I’d like to thank the:

Senior Core Graphic Design Professors: Antonio Alcala | Johan Severtson | Alice Powers Without your wisdom and constant support I wouldn’t have been able to get through this. Thank you. Renee’ Regan For all your help.I truly thank and appreciate everything. Orchid LuiYou truly are my big sister. Thank you for believing in me.Ryan McCullahThank you for taking the time to talk to me about my thesis and branding in general. You have truly been a postive influence on my life as a designer. Thank you. Dianne BostYou are my role-model. I love you with all of my heart. Greg Hanson & Bob Walker Thank you for stepping in and finishing strong in the very last hours. Without you this book publication would not have reached the level it has. Thank you.

To all of my friends, family and extended family who helped me get this far and believed in me every step of the way, I love and thank you very very much.

ACK NOW LEDGMENTS 95

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The Dichotomy of Luxury